Public asked to help find driver in fatal El Sereno hit-and-run

EL SERENO — LAPD Central Traffic detectives are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed a young mother holding her two-year-old son Wednesday night.

Hollenbeck Division officers responded to the 5200 block of Alhambra Avenue near Endicott Street at around 6:45 p.m. for a traffic collision. The investigation revealed that a 32 year-old-woman was standing in the middle of the street as she waited for eastbound traffic to clear when she was struck by a westbound vehicle, according to a statement released by the LAPD Central Traffic Division.

The victim was holding her 2-year-old son, who was thrown 50 feet and landed in the middle of the street. The victim was thrown into the eastbound lanes of Alhambra Avenue where she was struck a second time by a Nissan Frontier pick-up truck.

The driver of the pick-up truck remained at the scene and was questioned and released. The driver of the first vehicle fled the scene without stopping to render aid to the victim, as required by law.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and has been identified as Alicia Bello, reports CBS Los Angeles. The 2-year-old was treated at the hospital for numerous head lacerations. The suspect’s vehicle is described as a possible Honda SUV with damage to the left side. The investigation is ongoing.

The city is offering a reward of up to $50,000 to community members who provide information leading to the offender’s identification, apprehension, and conviction or resolution through a civil compromise.

On Thursday, an LAPD spokeswoman told The Eastsider that the crash was not a hit-and-run based on early information. But the results of the investigation later indicated that it had been a hit-and-run.

Anyone with information about this collision is asked to contact the LAPD Central Traffic Division Detectives at 213-833-3713 or Detective Felix Padilla at 213-486-0753. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may also visit ww.lapdonline.org, and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip. Lastly, tipsters may also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the LA Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.

Lucy Guanuna is a freelance reporter who has covered a variety of issues, including business, education and social justice movements in her native Los Angeles. Her work has been published in the Daily Sundial, L.A. Activist, and the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.

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